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A recent run of escapes from zoos by animals as diverse as zebras, racoons, and owls has once again highlighted how easy it can be for creatures apparently housed in secure surroundings to hightail their enclosures and make a bid for freedom. Most escapees from zoos and parks are rounded up quickly; others enjoy longer spells on the loose. Some, sadly, are never found. Fortunately, the majority of escape artists listed here were recaptured none the worse for wear after going AWOL. But how did these animals flee in the first place, and what happened next?
Click through this gallery and catch up with the creatures who went on the run.
Four female runaway racoons made amusing headlines in England in November 2024 after escaping from Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight. The rogue racoons, all sisters, went AWOL after carrying out a Steve McQueen-style 'Great Escape' from their enclosure. Three of the escapees were recaptured shortly afterwards, while the fourth led staff on a merry runaround before she too was recovered. All four were unharmed.
In March 2023, a plains zebra named Sero enjoyed several hours of freedom wandering the streets of Seoul in South Korea after breaking the wooden fencing around his pen at Children's Grand Park Zoo. Sero was eventually trapped by officials and returned safely to his enclosure.
A capybara named Cinnamon escaped from its habitat at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Shropshire, England, in September 2024. Worryingly, the giant rodent managed to get beyond the zoo's perimeter fence and was spotted on a nearby road. Fortunately, her escapade has a happy ending. Cinnamon was caught and returned to her home at a wildlife park.
In February 2023 an Eurasian eagle-owl called Flaco (pictured) escaped from his enclosure at Central Park Zoo in New York City. The owl subsequently took up residence in Central Park. Flaco's flight for freedom drew considerable public and press attention, and he became quite the celebrity. One year after his escape, Flaco died from injuries sustained after colliding with a building. New Yorkers later held a memorial for their beloved feathered friend, leaving dozens of cards in his memory under a tree where he often roosted.
Bokito, a male western gorilla, achieved infamy in May 2007 after breaking out of his enclosure at Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands and abducting a female visitor and severely injuring her. He then entered a nearby restaurant, causing panic among the diners. Bokito was eventually tranquilized by veterinarians and placed back in his pen.
A male red panda named Rusty (pictured) went missing from the Smithsonian National Zoo in June 2013. The zoo immediately went to Code Green, or a missing animal alert, and a recovery operation commenced. After an exhaustive search, Rusty was found safe and well, and was returned to his enclosure.
A capybara couple that came to be known as Bonnie and Clyde fled Toronto's High Park Zoo in May 2016. The pair roamed free around the city before Clyde was cornered and returned to his enclosure. The case was closed when Bonnie was apprehended two weeks later and reunited with her partner.
Ken Allen, the somewhat unimaginative name given to a Bornean orangutan at the San Diego Zoo, was infamous for escaping from his enclosure. In fact, he gained worldwide attention for doing so, absconding no less than nine times. The repeat offender was eventually nicknamed "The Hairy Houdini."
A Humboldt penguin that escaped from Tokyo Sea Life Park in 2012 went on the lam for 82 days, briefly becoming one of Japan's most wanted. At one point, the flightless fugitive was spotted splashing around in Tokyo Bay. Zoo staff eventually caught the penguin after roaming free for two months.
Flaviu, a young Carpathian lynx, went missing from Dartmoor Zoological Park in England for more than three weeks in July 2016. After his safe return, zookeepers noted a marked change in Flaviu's character. The cat was grumpy and flustered. As a potential remedy, the zoo introduced a female lynx called Emily into his enclosure. The pair soon bonded!
In an episode straight out of 'Brief Encounter,' a wild Bengal tiger actually broke into Nandankanan Zoo in India, apparently attracted to the zoo's captive female tiger. After enjoying each other's company for a few weeks, the mysterious stranger decided to leave, easily scaling the enclosure's two-story security wall. The incident, which took place in April 2012, has baffled zoo staff ever since.
Ollie, a six-year-old bobcat, pulled a vanishing act from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in January 2017. She was missing for two days before staff members found her still in the grounds, apparently staring with wanting eyes at the facility's birdhouse.
A trio of three kangaroos—Skippy, Jack, and Mick—made a hop for it in August 2012 from Hochwildschutzpark Hunsrück, near Frankfurt. And they had accomplices! Apparently a fox and wild boar had excavated a large hole under the park's fences, enabling the kangaroos to squeeze under and bounce off beyond.
The mass breakout in 1948 of 50 green monkeys from the Anthropoid Ape Research Foundation in Dania Beach, Florida, made headline news. Many were recaptured, but some managed to remain free. Over 70 years later, scientists announced an amazing discovery. They had been able to trace a colony of 36 vervet monkeys thriving in a mangrove forest to those remaining escapees.
Still in Florida, Nala, a lioness named after a character in Disney's 'The Lion King,' escaped from Kissimmee's JungleLand Zoo in December 1997. She eluded zoo staff for two days before being finally spotted by helicopter search and rescue team and being tranquilized by a veterinarian.
A Westland lowland gorilla called Evelyn managed to slip her enclosure at Los Angeles Zoo on at least four occasions. No doubt inspired and emboldened by her escapades, Evelyn's mate, Jim, also fancied a taste of freedom, eloping with his sweetheart in the same carefree manner. The zoo eventually received a warning from federal officials urging the facility to upgrade the gorilla enclosure.
The escape in January 2017 of two bald eagles from Chippewa Park Wildlife Exhibit in Thunder Bay, Canada, sparked anger and dismay after staff realized their enclosure had been vandalized. One of the majestic raptors was never found.
Easily the most audacious animal breakout is the escape in 1935 of 172 Rhesus monkeys in Long Island, New York. After breaching their enclosure at a privately-owned animal park, the escapees ran amok. Homeowners found them playing in their backyards; others were seen on rail tracks. Fruit stand owners complained of being harassed by the hungry primates. Over the next few weeks, some of the monkeys returned to the park of their own accord. Stragglers were eventually rounded up by the authorities.
In August 2012, a Eurasian lynx named Vivious managed to escape from Salzburg Zoo in Austria. She was eventually recaptured unharmed. In June, two cheetahs had also managed to abscond before being safely returned to the zoo.
An Indian peafowl flew its coop at the aforementioned High Park Zoo in Toronto, Canada, not once but twice. The roving peacock was later seen wandering down lanes and roosting in tree tops. He was eventually caught and placed back in his pen.
A mass breakout by 52 Guinea baboons from Paris Zoological Park in January 2018 made headlines across France. It took a squad of 80 emergency responders to round up the miscreant monkeys and return them to their enclosure.
Two tigers, two lions, a jaguar, and a bear escaped their enclosures at the privately-run Eifel Zoo in Lünebach, Germany, in June 2018. Flash flooding had inundated their enclosures, allowing the animals to make their getaway. The five big cats were eventually recovered. Sadly, the bear was later shot and killed, according to officials.
New Yorkers were alarmed and delighted in equal measure after learning that a highly venomous Egyptian cobra had slithered out of its enclosure at the Bronx Zoo. The slippery serpent was later found unharmed, coiled and enjoying a nap, and returned to the zoo's Reptile House.
Residents of Plavnica, a village in Montenegro, were astonished to see a hippopotamus splashing around their homes after floods in January 2010 swept the area. Floodwater had destroyed a private zoo, allowing Nikica, the hippo in question, to swim out of her pen. She was eventually brought home after floodwaters receded.
Passions ran wild at Monarto Safari Park near Adelaide, Australia, when Satara, an 18-year-old male white rhino, threw a tantrum after he saw his mate, Yhura, pairing up with a younger rhino. In a jealous rage, the scorned Satata escaped his enclosure and ventured into another section of the zoo, apparently to calm down and absorb the bad news...
Honshu, a seven-year-old male Japanese macaque, escaped from the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore, Scotland, on January 28, 2024. His vanishing act prompted a multi-agency search with help from a thermal imaging drone. Honshu was eventually found in a nearby garden, lured by peanuts in a birdfeeder.
One of the most disturbing incidents involving an escaped animal occurred in July 2018 at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, when a jaguar absconded from its enclosure and went into a mode known as "surplus killing," where it attacked and killed nine animals, including red foxes, alpacas, and an emu. The jaguar, named Valerio, was sedated by veterinarians and returned to his enclosure. No humans were injured during the big cat's escapade.
Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Sunny, a red panda that went missing in January 2017 from the Virginia Zoo. No positive traces of the animal have ever been found, but an account on X remains open to remind the public of Sunny's unexplained vanishing.
A lesser flamingo affectionately known as Pink Floyd escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas in 2005. The leggy runaway has been on the run ever since and is thought to be one of the longest-living animal escapees around today.
Sources: (BBC) (Smithsonian Institution Archives) (ABC News) (CBC) (National Geographic) (The New York Times) (Live Science)
See also: The world's smartest animals
What happens when animals escape from zoos?
Catch up with creatures who have gone on the run
LIFESTYLE Wildlife
A recent run of escapes from zoos by animals as diverse as zebras, racoons, and owls has once again highlighted how easy it can be for creatures apparently housed in secure surroundings to hightail their enclosures and make a bid for freedom. Most escapees from zoos and parks are rounded up quickly; others enjoy longer spells on the loose. Some, sadly, are never found. Fortunately, the majority of escape artists listed here were recaptured none the worse for wear after going AWOL. But how did these animals flee in the first place, and what happened next?
Click through this gallery and catch up with the creatures who went on the run.